Hogwarts
Decorating the Christmas Tree: college!au
Jingle Bells: "All I Want For Christmas Is You" (write an OTP meet cute)
Showtime: "My Freeze Ray" (mumbling)
Days of the Month: Tick Tock Day (write about a deadline)
Word Count: 829
Remus' face nearly slams against the table. He jolts awake, rubbing his eyes with a groan. According to his watch, it's nearly three in the morning, and he's still stuck in the library, desperately trying to perfect his research paper.
Mumbling sleepily under his breath, he forces his heavy eyes back on the book at hand. His mind continues to wander and drift, and he has a hard time staying focused. This isn't good; if he lets his grades slip, he risks losing his scholarship.
Remus sighs, skimming the page again. As he begins to jot down his notes, a noise catches his attention. It's three sudden thumps, loud and urgent. A chill shoots down his spine, and he turns.
No one is there. The library is completely empty. No one is ever here this late.
"Chill," he tells himself, returning his attention to the book. He has to get this done; nothing can stop him. "Just imagining things."
Another thump echoes, followed by a rattling sound. Remus jumps to his feet, quickly gathering his things. It doesn't matter if it's just his imagination. The library is too creepy to stick around tonight.
As he starts to walk away, he feels the hair stand up on the back of his neck. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees something that looks like a mist, drifting along. Remus no longer cares about maintaining his dignity. Clutching his books to his chest, he picks up his pace.
…
Sirius curses himself. The assignment had been handed out a month ago, and now it's due in roughly five hours. Unfortunately, he's made absolutely no progress on the project, which is why he finds himself making a mad dash to the library at three in the morning.
He'd much rather be back in his dorm, enjoying a movie, but his procrastination has proven to be his greatest enemy yet again. As he climbs the steps, something crashes into.
"Excuse you!" Sirius snaps.
He feels guilty the moment he says it. The other student's face is sickly pale and beaded with sweat. By way of an apology, Sirius reaches down to pick up the books and sheets of pages he's dropped.
"Sorry… Sorry… I…"
"You look like you've seen a ghost."
He expects the other young man to laugh. Instead, his eyes widen, and he glances over his shoulder. "I did," he says.
Sirius snorts. Every campus has its ghost stories, and this one is no exception. Still, the library is most definitely not haunted.
"Mate, I think you need to sleep."
The other shakes his head. "I'm not making this up."
"Sleep deprivation. Come on."
It must be worse than Sirius could imagine. The other man happily allows Sirius to lead him away. Only someone delirious from sleep would just allow some complete stranger to care for them at three in the morning.
"I'm Sirius," he adds.
"Remus."
Sirius almost regrets walking with him. His assignment isn't going to get finished on time now. Still, it won't be the first deadline he's missed.
…
Remus knows he's an idiot. This Sirius fella could be some insane criminal. Still, he's pretty much dead on his feet, and Sirius makes a lovely knight in shining armor.
His head rests on the other student's shoulder. Maybe Sirius is right. Maybe he really does need sleep. His assignment can wait.
"This is my hall," Remus tells him.
He expects Sirius to part ways. Instead, he escorts him inside. "Gotta make sure you don't pass out in the hall," he teases.
To Remus' surprise, he walks him all the way to his room. "Well, goodnight."
…
Sirius doesn't bother to return to the library. All he can think about is Remus. Though he doesn't even know the other man, he finds himself worrying about him.
"Will you still love me if I flunk out of uni?" Sirius asks, throwing himself onto his bed.
James groans, peeking an eye open. "Depends. Will I get some sleep if you flunk out?"
"Not a chance."
His roommate chuckles and rolls over, covering his face with a pillow. Sirius watches him for a moment before sighing. Maybe there will still be some hope for him. Hell, Remus seems to be the type to stay late and study. Maybe Sirius can convince him to be a tutor.
Or maybe more. He is rather handsome…
Sirius shakes his head and lays down. He shouldn't get ahead of himself.
…
When Remus wakes the next morning, he finds a sticky note stuck to the outside of his door.
Sleep well.
- Sirius
At the very bottom is his phone number.
Remus finds himself grinning. Sirius had almost been like a dream- his brilliant hero with perfect timing. If he's honest, part of him had been sure Sirius had been some figment of his delusional imagination.
He reads the note again, a grin on his lips. Maybe last night hadn't been so bad after all.